PluginSift

SyntaxHighlighter Evolved vs Code Embed (2026)

Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.

SyntaxHighlighter Evolved

SyntaxHighlighter Evolved

4.3(86)

20K+ active installs

Free

Updated 1 year ago
View SyntaxHighlighter Evolved
VS
Code Embed

Code Embed

4.4(45)

10K+ active installs

Free

Updated 2 weeks ago
View Code Embed

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Code Embed has a higher user rating (4.4/5 from 45 reviews) while SyntaxHighlighter Evolved leads in active installations (20K+ vs 10K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. SyntaxHighlighter Evolved has accumulated 1.1M+ total downloads while Code Embed has 514K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.3/5SyntaxHighlighter Evolved
►
Code Embed4.4/5
Total Reviews
86SyntaxHighlighter Evolved
◄
Code Embed45
Active Installs
20K+SyntaxHighlighter Evolved
◄
Code Embed10K+
Total Downloads
1.1M+SyntaxHighlighter Evolved
◄
Code Embed514K+
Support Resolution
N/ASyntaxHighlighter Evolved
Code EmbedN/A
Last Updated
1 year agoSyntaxHighlighter Evolved
►
Code Embed2 weeks ago
First Released
2007SyntaxHighlighter Evolved
Code Embed2009
Age
19 yearsSyntaxHighlighter Evolved
Code Embed17 years
WP Requires
5.7+SyntaxHighlighter Evolved
Code Embed4.6+
PHP Requires
7.0+SyntaxHighlighter Evolved
Code Embed7.4+
Business Model
FreeSyntaxHighlighter Evolved
Code EmbedFree
Latest Version
3.7.2SyntaxHighlighter Evolved
Code Embed2.5.2

Rating Breakdown

SyntaxHighlighter Evolved

4.3/5(86 reviews)
5
76%
4
6%
3
3%
2
5%
1
10%

Code Embed

4.4/5(45 reviews)
5
84%
4
0%
3
0%
2
2%
1
13%

Recent Reviews

SyntaxHighlighter Evolved Reviews

by Andrey Sirota

Works Great! But….

Thank you for this plugin. It works perfect for pure C and C#, but unfortunately, it doesn’t highlight most code for the Unity game engine: C# scripts and Shaders. Please add support for this.

by versuri

Dont work

не работает. строки php просто закомментирует, в визуальном редакторе не отображается

by janothemes

Works, But if you copy code and wan to to use it show error

It works and show code beautifully on pages, But if you copied that code and want to use it, the it shows errors, Looks like it add some spaces, I tried it with php shorcode, and when i copied the

Code Embed Reviews

by nick0488

Not Helpful

I was working on a client site and I can someone had installed code embed previously but somehow it got forgetten about. Its putting in code even when deactivated.But I have no way of adding code neve

by kimberean

No FAQ – not able to use it

Although page says “see FAQ” there is NO FAQ. Wasted a lot of time trying to get this to work. Someone raised this a year ago and no change has been made. Clearly no support or interest in helping

by ritadevine

useful plugin

I have good experience with it. Nice plugin.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is SyntaxHighlighter Evolved or Code Embed more popular?
SyntaxHighlighter Evolved has 20K+ active installations while Code Embed has 10K+. SyntaxHighlighter Evolved is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — SyntaxHighlighter Evolved or Code Embed?
SyntaxHighlighter Evolved has a 4.3/5 rating from 86 reviews, while Code Embed has a 4.4/5 rating from 45 reviews.
Are SyntaxHighlighter Evolved and Code Embed free?
SyntaxHighlighter Evolved is free and Code Embed is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — SyntaxHighlighter Evolved or Code Embed?
Support resolution data is not available for all plugins. Check each plugin's WordPress.org support forum for current response quality.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
SyntaxHighlighter Evolved was last updated 1 year ago and Code Embed was last updated 2 weeks ago.

Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.